Researchers note for those who didn’t get enough sleep during the weekdays, for example, sleeping in on weekends had no raised mortality risk.

Co-author Torbjörn Åkerstedt of the Stress Research Institute at Stockholm University and Karolinska Institutet tells Global News the message of this research is to encourage people to get enough sleep during the week.

“Short sleepers during both weekdays and weekends have an increased mortality,” he says via e-mail. “Same with consistent long sleepers. However, weekday short sleepers seem to be able to compensate during the weekend by sleeping more,” adding those who slept more than eight hours a day, seven days a week, had a 25 per cent higher mortality rate compared to those who slept for six to seven hours.

Finding a routine

“Try to sleep for seven hours regardless of day of the week, but older individuals need less, and younger need more sleep,” he says. “But as long as daytime functioning is OK, you probably get enough sleep. Don’t emphasis formal sleep duration too much.”

Create a relaxing space that you want to sleep in and avoid bringing in work, food or your cellphone with you before you sleep.

“The bright screen essentially tells your brain to turn off the sleep switch and tricks it into thinking you need to be awake. This, in turn, suppresses melatonin production and increases cortisol and adrenaline,” Alanna McGinn, family sleep consultant and founder of Goodnight Sleep Site told Global News earlier this year.